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Since everything is up-to-date on your system, I'll now just provide you with some suggestions for security software.

First, please remove ComboFix:

The following will implement some cleanup procedures as well as reset System Restore points:

Click Start > Run and copy/paste the following bolded text into the Run box and click OK:

ComboFix /Uninstall

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Please consider using these ideas to help secure your computer. While there is no way to guarantee safety when you use a computer, these steps will make it much less likely that you will need to endure another infection. While we really like to help people, we would rather help you protect yourself so that you won't need that help in the future.

Please either enable Automatic Updates under Start -> Control Panel -> Automatic Updates or get into the habit of checking Windows Update regularly. They usually have security updates every month. You can set Windows to notify you of Updates so that you can choose, but only do this if you believe you are able to understand which ones are needed. This is a crucial security measure.

It is really dangerous to go online without an antivirus. Without one, you are extremely likely to get infected and the consequences could be even worse next time. All of the following are excellent free antiviruses. Be sure to only install one.

Please consider installing and running some of the following programs; they are either free or have free versions of commercial programs:

Spybot-Search & DestroyA tutorial on using Spybot to remove spyware from your computer may be found here. Please also remember to enable Spybot's "Immunize" and "TeaTimer" features if you don't have the resident part of another anti-spyware program running.

SpywareBlasterA tutorial on using SpywareBlaster to prevent malware from ever installing on your computer may be found here.

SpywareGuardA tutorial on using SpywareGuard for real-time protection against spyware and hijackers may be found here.

Please, consider maintaining a firewall with HIPS (Host Intrusion Prevention Systems). Firewalls are extremely important and are the first part of your computer's defense. HIPS stops malware by monitoring its behavior and it's very important, too. A firewall is a software program or piece of hardware that helps screen out hackers, viruses, and worms that try to reach your computer over the Internet.If you are using the Windows Firewall please note that it doesn't monitor or block outbound traffic and is therefore less effective than other free alternatives.

If you use Internet Explorer, it is a good idea to use IE-Spyad for ZonedOut which provides protections against malicious websites. (Requires 2 downloads)

Please keep these programs up-to-date and run them whenever you suspect a problem to prevent malware problems. A number of programs have resident protection and it is a good idea to run the resident protection of one of each type of program to maintain protection. However, it is important to run only one resident program of each type since they can conflict and become less effective. That means only one antivirus, firewall and scanning anti-spyware program at a time. Passive protectors, like SpywareBlaster and IE-Spyad can be run with any of them.

Note that there are a lot of rogue programs out there that want to scare you into giving them your money and some malware actually claims to be security programs. If you get a popup for a security program that you did not install yourself, do NOT click on it and ask for help immediately. It is very important to run an antivirus and firewall, but you can't always rely on reviews and ads for information. Ask in a security forum that you trust if you are not sure. If you are unsure and looking for anti-spyware programs, you can find out if it is a rogue here:

A similar category of programs is now called "scareware." Scareware programs are active infections that will pop-up on your computer and tell you that you are infected. If you look closely, it will usually have a name that looks like it might be legitimate, but it is NOT one of the programs you installed. It tells you to click and install it right away. If you click on any part of it, including the 'X' to close it, you may actually help it infect your computer further. Keeping protection updated and running resident protection can help prevent these infections. If it happens anyway, get offline as quickly as you can. Pull the internet connection cable or shut down the computer if you have to. Contact someone to help by using another computer if possible. These programs are also sometimes called 'rogues', but they are different than the older version of rogues mentioned above.

Please consider using an alternate browser. Mozilla's Firefox browser is a very good alternative. In addition to being generally more secure than Internet Explorer, it has a very good built-in popup blocker and add-ons, like NoScripts, can make it even more secure. Opera is another good option.If you are interested, Firefox may be downloaded from hereOpera is available here: http://www.opera.com/download/

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Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. For some reason, my computer is saying Combofix doesn't exist when I go to uninstall it - although, I had deleted the desktop icon about this time, so I'm wondering if that did the same thing. I'm so happy my computer is functional again - the only worry I have would be that there was some sort of exploit left over from the infection. I'm not sure though if there's anyway to tell except time... Thank you so very much for your help; it was a huge relief, and I very much appreciate it! :-)

Instead, rename it to Uninstall.exe. Then, run that. ComboFix should now be uninstalled.

I'm so happy my computer is functional again - the only worry I have would be that there was some sort of exploit left over from the infection. I'm not sure though if there's anyway to tell except time...

There shouldn't be. As long as you keep your programs up-to-date, and run some good security software, you should be fine.